State officials levied $88.7 million in fines Tuesday against two Los Angeles pharmacists accused of filling more than 3,500 illegal prescriptions over the Internet, the largest penalty ever against online drugstores.

An eight-month investigation by the state Board of Pharmacy found the company filled requests for "lifestyle drugs" -- Viagra for impotence, Propecia for hair loss and Xenical for weight loss -- without obtaining prescriptions from licensed California physicians.

In some cases, prospective clients needed only to fill out online questionnaires and provide their credit card numbers to get prescriptions filled.

"We're very concerned about the use of the Internet (to fill prescriptions) without the oversight of a physician," said Patricia Harris, executive officer of the Board of Pharmacy. "We hope these fines send a very strong message to pharmacies and pharmacists that this type of activity is illegal. We have the authority (to issue penalties) and we intend to use it."

It's the first time California authorities have used a law that went into effect last year prohibiting Internet pharmacies from filling prescriptions without a "good-faith prior medical examination" by a California-licensed doctor. The new law provides for $25,000 fines for each violation.

The state issued three citations against a pharmacy, Total Remedy and Prescription Center II in Los Angeles, and pharmacists Barry Irvin and William Charles Packer. Total Remedy and Prescription Center II are actually brick-and- mortar pharmacies. They contracted with a Web site to process customer orders. Under state law, the pharmacy board is powerless to shut down the pharmacies.

"We see fines as a good way of getting people's attention," said Carlo Michelotti, chief executive officer of the organization, "but $88.7 million is beyond what is reasonable."

The two pharmacists named in the citations have 30 days to appeal the alleged violations.

Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, whose bill made such acts illegal, called the amount of the fines "remarkable."

HIGHER PRICES ONLINE

"The law is operating precisely the way it was intended to," Speier said, noting that the Internet pharmacists in the Los Angeles case charged more than if patients had gone to their local pharmacists.

Buying 100 one-milligram tablets of Propecia could cost a patient nearly $300 on the Internet, $238 more than buying the same bottle of pills at a local pharmacy. A 30-tablet bottle of Xenical fetched $195 on the Internet versus $52 at a pharmacy.

"It's a serious problem that is so widespread throughout the country," Speier said. "Consumers should be aware that if they're purchasing drugs over the Internet, they are setting themselves up not only for added costs but great risk to their health."

The top physician at the Medical Board of California, which licenses doctors, said the fines underscore the seriousness of the need for a physician exam before obtaining a prescription.

"A good-faith exam means a doctor has seen a patient face to face, taken his or her medical history and in many cases done a physical and lab work," said Dr. Neal Kohatsu, medical director of the Medical Board of California. "These are things that can't be determined just by filling out a questionnaire.

All prescription medications should be prescribed for a particular purpose for a particular condition.

"It's potentially a very dangerous situation," Kohatsu added. "It can be life threatening."

The board is pursuing fines equaling $54.9 million from the pharmacy, $33.1 million from Irvin and $697,500 from Packer.

PHARMACIST 'IN SHOCK'

Irvin, whom state officials identified as the pharmacist in charge and part owner of the pharmacy could not be reached for comment. Packer, who received a smaller fine, said he was "in shock."

"I had no idea this was happening or coming," said Packer, who told The Chronicle he has been a pharmacist for 25 years. "All I can say is I was told it was OK. I knew nothing about it being illegal. I wasn't aware there wasn't a good-faith examination done before" filling these prescriptions. "The owner told me everything was fine. If I had known this was illegal, it wouldn't even have been thought of. I had nothing to gain. All it was for me was more work."